Freedom.  I could almost taste it, and a driver’s license was going to give me this freedom.  No more begging for rides from my parents.  No more canceling plans because my friends and I could not find a ride.  I was so beyond excited that I could hardly stand it.  I had completed a driver’s education course in my town that my parents made me take, and it had not even been that bad. First, I sat through the day-long class that taught us not only the rules of the road, but the dangers of driving.  I’ll admit, the statistics were scary.  Teen drivers are more likely to be involved in fatal crashes than older drivers.  Car accidents are a leading cause of death for teens.  Also, because teens are immature, they may take more risks when driving, like driving too fast, drinking alcohol while driving, or not wearing their seatbelts.  Plus, we learned that there are numerous distractions drivers must face, and teens have difficulty ignoring these, like checking their phones or talking to other passengers in the car while ignoring the road.  After spending that day in the driver education classroom, I briefly thought about how my family would feel if something bad were to happen to me, but then I quickly brushed these thoughts aside.  Nothing like that would happen to me; those kinds of things only happen to other people.  After the initial driver’s classroom experience, I was assigned to drive with various instructors, and I did well.  All of them were very complimentary and boosted my confidence.  I did not have any trouble passing my driver’s test.  Also, I had driven a lot with my mother, so I felt like I was ready to conquer the road.  I went to my DMV and smiled big for my restricted driver’s license.

I received my driver’s license in May, and once school got out in June, I was excited about driving my mother’s car to visit my girlfriend.  My mother trusted me with her car, and I promised her I would be careful.  I went to pick up my girlfriend, and I thought, “This is easy”.  After eating lunch, we were on the interstate, and a lawn truck slightly swerved into my lane.  I panicked and tried to change lanes without checking my blind spot.  I learned quickly that not checking your blind spot was not smart because next to me was another car I did not see.  After I swiped the side of the car, my heart was about to thump out of my chest.  I could not believe that I was actually involved in a wreck.  The car and I pulled over, and the driver called the police.  I called my mother, and she came to the accident scene.  I ended up being very lucky.  There was no damage to my mother’s car and minimal damage to the vehicle I hit.  The driver never even reported the damages to my insurance company.  Also, the police officer seemed sympathetic and did not give me a ticket with any points.  My mother was still upset, of course, and my girlfriend’s father had to come and pick her up.  Overall, it was not a pleasant experience, but things could have been worse.  After this wreck, I was told that I could not drive on the interstate.  For a while, I was not allowed to borrow the car, and I had to practice more with my parents.  But time passed, and I was allowed to drive again.  My parents even bought me my very own car, and I was thrilled.  The accident from June had faded from my mind. 

November rolls around, and we were out of school for Election Day.  It was a rainy day, and I made plans to pick up my girlfriend to go to a movie.  We were in the car, talking about the movie we were about to see, when suddenly a car stopped on a slick road in front of me.  I slammed on my brakes, but it was too late.  I rear-ended the car in front of me.  This time, there was a lot of damage to both my car and the other vehicle.  The police came, and I called my mother again.  My girlfriend could barely open her door to get out of the car.  I was in complete shock as I stood in the road with my mother, watching my precious vehicle being towed away.  When I spoke to the police officer, things got even worse.  I realized I didn’t have my driver’s license, and I was issued two tickets, one for not having the license and another for causing the accident.  Then the officer told me something that I will never forget.  He asked me, “Do you know why people get tickets if they do not have their licenses?”  He answered, “In case you are injured badly or worse, and we need to know your address to let your loved ones know what has happened.”  I had never thought of that scary thought before.  How terrible!  I can’t imagine how my parents would have felt with the police showing up at our house.
 
After the accident, I learned my car was totaled.  Thankfully, my insurance company paid for most of the loss of my vehicle.  However, my family received a letter stating that my insurance company was dropping me from my parents’ insurance.  I was not going to be driving anytime soon. I felt terrible about the accident.  Here I was, only sixteen, and I had two accidents, all because I was talking to another person in the car and not paying enough attention to the road.  Here comes the part where I learned the lesson that freedom comes with a price.  I knew once I started driving again, our insurance would go up.  I decided I had to get a job to help pay for the expenses.  I walked into a grocery store and came out with a new job.  I worked and saved my money to help my parents pay for my car insurance.  Eventually, I was allowed to drive again to school and work, with only me in the car.  I focused on every drive, knowing that I did not want to get into another accident.  Now I am allowed to drive with a friend in the car, but I have learned to focus more on the road than on what my friend is saying.  I have also had to learn not to look at my phone, let alone text. 
 
When I think about what can be done to promote safer driving, the first idea that comes to mind is the country having universal hands-free cell phone laws.  My state currently allows drivers to hold their phones, and I often see people texting and conversing on their phones.  Schools can even promote this rule. If a teacher or the resource officer sees students holding a phone in the car while on campus, disciplinary action could be taken.  Another idea is for the country to have universal ages to obtain both restricted and unrestricted driver’s licenses.  Some states allow teens as young as 14 to drive with a restricted license.  Social media could also be used to target teen drivers and their parents.  Most importantly, parents need to have clear rules with their teens about driving so that teens understand their expectations and the consequences of breaking the rules.   
 
Overall, I still love driving and feeling the independence it gives me.  However, I have learned how vital driver safety is and hope that other teens will learn the importance of safety as well.  Like I said, freedom has its price.